The owner of illegally run Daxing Colliery in south China's Guangdong Province, where a fatal flooding claimed 123 lives last month, has been arrested, along with 16 others, local prosecution sources said yesterday.
Zeng Yungao, chairman of the Daxing Colliery in Xingning City, was arrested on September 12, said Song Qinchuan, an official with the city prosecutors office.
Song said 16 others, most of whom are officials and management personnel of the colliery, were also arrested. They are being held accountable for the fatal coal mine accident or for its illegal mining operations. One was arrested for destroying accounts of the coal mine.
The mine had been ordered to halt operations for safety reasons, but work continued.
The accident occurred at midday on August 7. Only four miners escaped. Rescuers only recovered the bodies of six of the 123 miners reported missing.
The rescue operation at the flooded colliery was stopped on August 29 and authorities announced that 123 miners were killed. Officials said there was no hope the other 117 had survived after being trapped for 23 days in the flooded mine.
(Xinhua)